Objective To understand the causes and the ratio of cause constituents in children with chronic cough in Beijing. Methods Patients with chronic cough treated at respiratory clinic of the Children' s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from May 2009 to April 2011 were included in this study. Etiologic diagnostic procedure suggested for children by the Subspecialty Group of Respiratory Diseases,the Society of Pediatrics,Chinese Medical Association in 2008 was implemented to manage the patients. After three - month follow - up,the etiological data was analyzed. Results Totally 213 patients with chronic cough aged 1. 1 to 14. 0 years old were enrolled,inclu-ding 40 cases(18. 8% )aged≤3 years old,134 cases(62. 9% )aged ﹥ 3 to 6 years old,and 39 cases(18. 3% ) aged ﹥ 6 years old. The majority of patients with positive allergen tests were sensitized to inhaled allergens. One child had positive result in 24 - hour esophageal pH monitoring,but his cough didn't respond well to the specific treatment for gastroesophageal reflux,so he wasn't diagnosed as gastroesophageal reflux cough. The 4 leading causes of the 213 pa-tients with chronic cough were cough variant asthma(CVA)in 92 cases(43. 2% ),CVA associated with upper airway cough syndrome(UACS)in 57 cases(26. 8% ),UACS in 28 cases(13. 2% ),respiratory infection and post - infec-tion cough(PIC)in 26 cases(12. 2% ),while other causes were found in 8 cases(3. 7% ),and unknown etiology in 2 cases(0. 9% ). The incidence of CVA ranked top 1 in all the 3 age groups,followed by PIC in ≤3 years old group, while CVA associated with UACS in the other 2 age groups. Conclusions CVA,CVA associated with UACS,UACS and PIC were the 4 leading causes for children with chronic cough in Beijing. Children in different age groups had dif-ferent constituents ratio of causes of chronic cough.

Objective To explore the resistance and molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer activity of daunorubicin in CD34 +acute myeloid leukemia(AML) cells. Methods CD34 +AML cell lines(KG1a and Kasu-mi-1)were used as objectives, and CD34 -AML cell line U937 was used as positive control. Western blot analysis was used to examine the protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in CD34 +AML and CD34 -AML cell lines incubated with/without daunorubicin to compare the sensitivity of CD34 +AML and CD34 -AML cells to daunorubicin. SiRNA against Bcl-2 was used in KG1a and Kasumi-1 cells and examined the effect on cell viability by MTT assay. Results Western blot analysis showed that Bcl-2 protein levels in CD34 +AML cells appeared to be significantly higher than in CD34 -AML cells. Western blot analysis showed that treatment with 0.4 μg/ml daunorubicin for 48 h caused down-regulation of Bcl-2 only in CD34 -AML cells,but not in CD34 +AML cells. Suppression of Bcl-2 with siRNA increased the susceptibility of KG1a and Kasumi-1 to daunorubicin. Conclusion CD34 +AML cell lines ex-press higher levels of Bcl-2 protein. Daunorubicin fails to down-regulate the high Bcl-2 protein levels in CD34 +AML cells. Suppression of Bcl-2 with siRNA increases the susceptibility of KG1a and Kasumi-1 to daunorubicin. The high Bcl-2 protein levels in CD34 +AML cells may be involved in the insensitivity to daunorubicin.

Objective To develop a convenient reverse transcription PCR(RT-PCR)method for identifying genotypes of human metapneumovirus(hMPV)from clinical samples.Methods According to the gene sequences of hMPV G with different genotypes,the A and B genotype specific primers were designed.A diplex RT-PCR was applied to identify different genotypes according to the molecular weight of PCR products in agarose gel.37 clinical samples were detected through this method.Results It was convenient to distinguish different genotypes of hMPV(383 bp for A and 284 bp for B)by the diplex RTPCR,and there was no non-specific amplification for common respiratory viruses.so it meant that the specificity of primers was good.The results of genotyping 37 clinical samples showed that 20 samples were identified as genotype A by both sequence analysis of M gene and diplex RT-PCR,whereas 17 samples were identified as genotype B by sequence analysis of M gene.but in these 17 samples 14 samples were identified as genotype B by the diplex RT-PCR and remaining 3 samples could not be genotyped because there was no PCR product after amplification.The consistency rate for these two methods Was 91.9%[(20+14)/37].Conclusion The method of diplex RT-PCR Was developed successfully and can be used for identify genotypes of hMPV.

Objective:This study aimed to achieve the early diagnosis and active treatment of adult hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) and investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of this syndrome. Methods:A single-center retrospective analysis was performed to analyze clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and survival data. Results:In 58 patients, the most common clinical manifestations were fever (100%) and splenomegaly (89.7%). The most common laboratory parameters were serum ferritin 500 g/L (100%) and peripheral cytopenia in two or more lineages (96.6%). platelet count, fibrinogen, and lactate dehydrogenase in the death group were significantly lower than in the survival group (P=0.000, 0.001, and 0.000). Survival analysis results showed that infections in the rheu-matological group exhibited good prognosis [the overall survival (OS) time was not reached in 190 d]. Patients with unexplained causes had moderate prognosis (OS time was 60 d);tumor-associated HPS patients had poor prognosis (the OS time was only 30 d). Univariate analysis results showed that patients with Fbg<1.5 g/L, PLT<40×109/L, and LDH≥2000 U/L also exhibited poor prognosis (P=0.000). Multivariate analysis results showed that PLT<40 × 109/L was an independent adverse factor (HR=6.472, 95%CI:1.526-26.065, P=0.011). Conclusion:HPS exhibits complex clinical manifestations and varied etiology. Patients with infection and rheumatism-related HPS had good prognosiss compared with those manifesting tumor-associated HPS. Fbg<1.5 g/L, PLT<40×109/L, and LDH≥2 000 U/L were the univariate factors that affected the survival time of patients. PLT<40×109/L is an independent adverse factor. These patients need systemic treatments as early as possible.

The aim of this study was to clone the chicken zp1 gene encoding zona pellucida 1 (Zp1) and investigate its tissues expression profile and its effect on osteoblast mineralization. The expression level of zp1 was quantified in various tissues of laying hens and in the tibia of the pre- and post-sexual maturity by RT-qPCR. Zp1 overexpressed vector was transfected into chicken calvarial osteoblasts which were induced differentiation for 8 days, and the extracellular mineral and the expression of mineralization-related genes were detected. The full-length chicken zp1 gene is 3 045 bp, encoding 958 amino acids residuals, and has two N-glycosylation sites. The highest expression level of the zp1 gene was found in the liver, followed by the tibia and yolk membrane, while no expression was detected in the heart and eggshell gland. Compared with the pre-sexual maturity hens, the concentration of estrogen (E2) in plasma, the content of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and the expression level of the zp1 gene in the tibia with post-sexual maturity were higher. The extracellular matrix and the level of osteoblast mineralization-related genes showed a significantly upregulated expression in chicken calvarial osteoblasts with Zp1 overexpressed and addition of estrogen. The expression of the zp1 gene is tissue-specific and positively regulated osteoblast mineralization under the action of estrogen, laying the foundation for elucidating the functional properties of Zp1 in chicken bones during the egg production period.
Female ; Animals ; Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins ; Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism* ; Chickens/genetics* ; Egg Proteins/metabolism* ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; Estrogens